I have now owned my new shiny road bike for a week. I have since riden the bike only a few miles. The weather has been terrible and I dont feel as if I have even been able to experience it yet. I am so excited to hit the road. Anyway I bought numerous accesories for the bike at wm. I purchased the bike at LBS but there prices on accesories were high. I have found this much so far. WM does have decent lights that can be mounted easily, I had to take the first set back, because they didnt fit, but this second set (zefal) seems to have mounted perfectly. The schwinn water bottle and cage mounted very easily. The bell bag easily fit two tubes and tire levers and mounted easily under the seat, and the helmet is just that a bell helmet doesnt look too bad and is comfortable. The bell cyclocomputer is set up and on there getting it to read consistently was a challenge and I cant comment for sure on how well it works until I am able to ride for a decent distance. the air pump didnt fit for s*** and will also have to be returned. I guess sometimes it is best to just spend the extra little bit at the LBS or online. I am getting awfully irritated about not being able to ride. Can anyone recommend an online store that has decent products. The cyclocomputer sensor mounted with zipties I somehow doubt this will stay in place on a long ride. Do they all mount like this, oh well now I am rambling. Anyone in mid missouri who wants to go riding with the new guy let me know.

You're off to a good start.

The zipties on the sensor on my Fuji have been in place for 12,679 miles. If you get them tight, they should hold up well. The one on my other bike is held on by rubber O-rings, and it has held for a little over 10,000 miles with no problems.

Get some experience with the stuff you have now. That will tell you what you want/need when it comes time to replace things.

If you're going to ride after dark, get a tail light or two. The Planet Bike Super Flash is a good place to start, and they're not too expensive. You might want to consider a hi-vis jacket or vest for night rides as well.

Good luck with the new bike.

for online shopping...

www.bonktown.com
www.nashbar.com
www.performancebike.com (check for a store in your area, their prices are lower than most other bike shops, depending on what you're buying)

there are others but these are the 3 i order from most often

Congratulations!

I suppose it is hard to set up your bike, get it looking great and then have to sit and look at it for lack of good weather. But the weather will turn in your favor sooner or later. Or why don't you meet it halfway? Rain gear, for instance. And you can experiment with various types of winter wear until you find something that's comfortable. I hope I'm not misunderstanding, but it sounds as though you haven't had much riding in bad weather. (maybe you're really, really new to bicycling?) If so, here's the good news; it's not hard to be pretty comfortable, really, in some pretty bad weather. It's just a matter of finding the items of clothing that work best for you (almost none are bicycle specific, by the way) and figuring out a way of having them when you need them. (I use two gym sacks, myself. But only in spring and fall; don't need the clothing in summer and in winter I'm wearing them.) Bad weather stops me only when visibility is so bad that I fear for my safety at the hands of the automobiles, never as a matter of comfort. It's not very hard to be out there in any weather and still feel good.

I've only found two sites for bike parts and accessories that I think are any good. One of them is Amazon.com. The other is www.bikeworldusa.com. I've searched for other sites and I've found quite a few. But the others that I have found are those that have items that are, admittedly, rather nice but at outrageous prices.

Be careful with that Bell cyclocomputer. I have had a couple of them. Every one of them fell off of the mount at some point on rough roads or trails because it isn't secure enough. Often not a big deal, but when the car behind you runs over it, you are left shopping for a new one.

wm?

Don't let the rain stop you from riding. If you are not riding to get somewhere, like commuting to work, riding in the rain can make you feel even more free. The spray, mud, and road dirt make it even more fun. So, unless you are commutting, or the rain is so hard that you can not see, get on the bike. You will be glad you did.

Just stay away from the white lines.

Check out this thread in General ... https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ted-businesses

You shoulda asked the LBS if they would give a special discount on accessories when you bought your new bike... My fave LBS gives me 20% off stuff for a month after I buy a bike from them.